Editing Red telephone box (section)

=== K6 ===
[[File:K2 and K6 telephone boxes in Smithfield Market - geograph.org.uk - 6029023.jpg|thumb|upright|A K2 (left) and K6 (right) together in [[Smithfield Market]], London]]

In 1935 the K6 was designed to commemorate the [[Silver Jubilee of George V]]. It was consequently sometimes known as the "Jubilee" kiosk. It went into production in 1936.<ref>Stamp 1989, pp. 13–14.</ref> The K6 was the first red telephone kiosk to be extensively used outside London, and many thousands were deployed in virtually every town and city, replacing most of the existing kiosks and establishing thousands of new sites. In 1935 there had been 19,000 public telephones in the UK: by 1940, thanks to the K6, there were 35,000.<ref>Stamp 1989, p. 14.</ref>

The design was again by Scott, and was essentially a smaller and more streamlined version of the K2, intended to be produced at a considerably cheaper cost, and to occupy less pavement space. The principal differences between the two designs were:
* Size. The K6 was {{convert|8|ft|3|in|m}} tall and weighed 13.5 [[Hundredweight|cwt]] (0.69 [[tonne]]s). This compared with {{convert|9|ft|3|in|m}} and 1.25 [[ton]]s (1.27 [[tonne]]s) for the K2.
* Elements of the design were simplified and streamlined, in keeping with the "[[Streamline Moderne|moderne]]" aesthetics of the 1930s. The Grecian [[Fluting (architecture)|fluting]] was removed from the door and window surrounds, and the previously separate [[pediment]] and [[frieze]] were merged.
* The Crown motif (see [[#Crown|below]]), which had previously been pierced through the ironwork to give ventilation, was now embossed in [[bas-relief]]. A new, separate ventilation slot was provided.
* A new [[Glazing (window)|glazing]] pattern was introduced. The door and two glazed sides of the K2 each had 18 equal-sized panes of glass arranged in 6 rows of 3. In the K6 the number of rows was increased to 8, and the central column of panes was made considerably wider than those to either side. This improved visibility, and gave a more horizontal appearance to the windows, again in keeping with "moderne" principles.<ref>Stamp 1989, pp. 14–15.</ref>

[[File:K2 interior.jpg|thumb|upright|Original phone and coin box in a red telephone box]]
The K6 has since become a British icon, but it was not universally loved at the start. The red colour caused particular local difficulties and there were many requests for less visible colours. The Post Office was forced into allowing a less strident grey with red glazing bars scheme for areas of natural and architectural beauty.<ref>Stamp 1989, p. 16.</ref> Ironically, some of these areas that have preserved their telephone boxes have now painted them red. The paint colour used most widely today is known as "currant red" and is defined by a British Standard, BS381C-Red539.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Series 1, Episode 4 |series= I Never Knew That About Britain |series-link= I Never Knew That About Britain |url= https://www.itv.com/itvplayer/i-never-knew-that-about-britain/series-1/episode-4 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20140415031702/https://www.itv.com/itvplayer/i-never-knew-that-about-britain/series-1/episode-4 |url-status= dead |archive-date= 15 April 2014 |access-date= 14 April 2014 |network= [[ITV (TV channel)|ITV]] |date= 24 March 2014 |season= 1 |number= 4 }}</ref>

==== Kiosk installation: the early years ====
With continued demand for K6 kiosks, siting them was more widespread than ever before. A purpose built kiosk trailer was designed from 1953 to reduce the running costs of cranes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.redtelephonebox.com/images/photos/trailer/pages/trailer009_jpg.htm |title=Remember When UK – restoration – GPO trailer restoration |website=Redtelephonebox.com |access-date=14 January 2010 |archive-date=19 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100519142125/http://www.redtelephonebox.com/images/photos/trailer/pages/trailer009_jpg.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==== Numbers installed ====
The K6 was the most prolific kiosk in the UK and its growth, from 1935, can be seen from the BT archives:
{| class="wikitable"  style="margin:1em auto; width:50%; text-align:center;"
|+
! Period
! Number
! Notes
|-
| 1925– || align=right | 1,000 || K1 only
|-
| 1930– || align=right | 8,000 || K2 & K3 added
|-
| 1935– || align=right |19,000 || K6 introduced
|-
| 1940– || align=right |35,000 ||
|-
| 1950– || align=right |44,000 ||
|-
| 1960– || align=right |64,000 ||
|-
| 1970– || align=right |70,000 || K8 introduced in 1968
|-
| 1980– || align=right |73,000 ||
|}
{{Clear}}